No Thais have contracted MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia

BANGKOK, 23 April 2014 – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has assured the public that no Thai nationals in Saudi Arabia have contracted the Middle East respiratory symptom coronavirus, or MERS-CoV, after a recent spike in cases at the gulf state.

The Thai consulate in Saudi Arabia’s second-largest city, Jeddah, confirmed that no cases of MERS-CoV have been reported among the Thai population.

Embassy staff members have met up with Thai students and Thai Muslim pilgrims who traveled to Saudi Arabia to perform the annual Haj in Mecca and Medina in a bid to inform them of the growing outbreak.

Saudi Arabia confirmed more than 50 cases of the virus in the past week, at least seven of which were fatal. The Saudi Health Ministry says 13 new cases were reported on Monday alone, bringing the total to 257.

Saudi officials have also called on the World Health Organization and a group of medical experts to meet at the end of this month to discuss the current status of the virus.